


Social Grooming

by Ghoulboyboos



Series: Lovebirds and Serpentines [1]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Bird Hybrid, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Grooming, Hybrid AU, M/M, Snake Hybrid, Snakes have to shed skin so Nagas do too, Wingfic, some dirty jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 23:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15593370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghoulboyboos/pseuds/Ghoulboyboos
Summary: When Ryan doesn’t budge, Shane gives in.“I’m shedding. I have to take some time to get rid of this:” He rubs his flat hand over his scales and Ryan can see some of the skin bunch. “But for that I have to go home and soak, peel and exfoliate. It’s not painful, but it’s a bit gross so… yeah not gonna do that here.”“Does it hurt?”“No, but it itches like a motherfucker.”Ryan bites his bottom lip, but decides to take the chance.“Do you need help? Later, I mean?”Shane looks at him in honest surprise.-The Hybrid AU nobody asked for, because I'm a nostalgic mess who misses Hybrid AUs. Snake-Hybrid Shane is shedding and Bird-Hybrid Ryan offers help. After all, Shane helped him with his molt... and Ryan can use it as an excuse to spend more time with his best friend slash crush.





	Social Grooming

**Author's Note:**

> A note on Hybrid AU’s:  
> Hybrid AU’s have been relatively popular a couple of years ago, especially in the Youtube fandom. Hybrid worlds usually mean that some or all humans have animal traits. With mammalian hybrids, tails, ears and teeth or claws are common. With avian hybrids, the people often have wings. Some hybrids resemble mythical creatures, like mermaids, nagas and centaurs. These traits get passed onto their children, although sometimes the hybrid traits are randomly based on the personality of the child. Parents also don’t have to be in the same hybrid category to have children. Worlds with a high hybrid concentration (like this one) have several ways to accommodate hybrids with supportive gear, like wheelchairs with water tanks for piscine hybrids, chairs with space for wings and/or tails, etc.
> 
> Ryan is an Avian, a bird hybrid with wings on his back and some feathery texture to his hair. Shane is a Serpentine, a snake hybrid in the style of a Naga, meaning his upper half is human and he’s snake from the waist down.
> 
>  
> 
> [There is art to this story! Look at it and tell void-bee how amazing it looks <3<3<3 ](http://void-bee.tumblr.com/post/176724529446/ahhhh-i-loved-social)

[There is art to this story! Look at it and tell void-bee how amazing it looks <3<3<3 ](http://void-bee.tumblr.com/post/176724529446/ahhhh-i-loved-social)

Ryan doesn’t really know when or how his relationship with Shane changed over the course of the last couple of years. Their relationship seems to reach different states without him noticing a lot and he is always left wondering, when it happened.

 

-

 

When both of them started as interns and met during their first week at Buzzfeed, they became friends in an instant. Ryan couldn’t pinpoint the moment between “this guy I work with” to “one of my closest friends” if he tried. He also can’t remember exactly when Shane transformed from “one of my closest friends” to “my best friend”. It probably was around the time Shane joined Unsolved, but all he can remember are their shared laughs, wheezing over something probably too terrible to be funny. He remembers the time he got so sick he couldn’t speak and Shane came over with noodle soup and a gift-wrapped Paddington BluRay and Ryan had been so grateful he had to hold back tears. He remembers going out with Shane for drinks and karaoke and how they had barely made it back to Ryan’s place before both crashed on Ryan’s bed and fell asleep. He remembers the hangover. He doesn’t remember feeling awkward waking up next to Shane.

 

-

 

Months ago, when their movie nights got more frequent, Shane bought Ryan a comfy chair. Ryan protested at first, despite being touched by the gesture. He doesn’t mind sitting on Shane’s sofa because the back was soft and his wings could settle against his back without being squished too much, but Shane insisted. Ryan doesn’t fight the decision anymore, because it is a really nice armchair with a round gap in the back where his wings can settle comfortably and even stretch out behind him when he feels like it.

He can kick the chair back, lie down with his hands linked on his stomach while Shane is sprawled on the sofa, head propped on the arm close to Ryan so both can reach for the popcorn on the corner of the small coffee table. Sometimes, when they are a few beers in or Ryan is too sleepy to be a coward, he will reach over and run his fingers through Shane’s hair. Shane never seems to mind. Ryan can see his friend’s eyes droop and on rare occasions, his care is rewarded with a relaxed and happy sigh.

He knows that this probably isn’t how friends – especially male friends – touch normally, but after all the years of frat-bro-ing his way through life, he is sick of denying himself casual comfortable touches when they are wanted. And Shane never makes him feel like they are not wanted.

 

-

 

Sometimes, when they sit on the couch together and Ryan sits sideward, his wings hanging over the arm of the couch, Shane settles some of his long, coiled tail on Ryan’s crossed legs, muscles under the scales moving and almost kneading at Ryan’s thighs. It is surprisingly relaxing. The sensation is different than someone squeezing his leg with their hand. Shane is a steady and comforting pressure and Ryan always finds himself relaxing, like someone put a weighted blanket over him. On rare occasions, they catch each other’s eyes but don’t comment on it. Ryan wonders how much Shane can sense through touching him like this, if his scales are as capable of feeling the muscles in his legs like Shane’s fingertips and the thought causes his pulse to quicken. Maybe it was just like putting your legs over someone’s lap, but then again, the muscles in Shane’s tail squeeze at Ryan and he just can’t get himself to address it, because he really enjoys the feeling. It’s almost like getting a massage. So instead, he places his hands on Shane’s tail, fingers running over the smooth scales and feeling the muscles underneath them. It’s very nice, to his surprise. Before meeting Shane, he had been one of the people who assumed that Serpentine scales are slimy or sticky. Once he learned the real texture of Shane’s scales, he has trouble keeping himself from touching them.

He’s careful at first, because he always thought that touching Shane like this would excite him too much. But the familiarity with which these touches happen actually calms him down. It’s just nice being close to Shane, sharing contact and comforting each other. Ryan sighs. He has come pretty far since his early days, where you said “no homo” after helping a bro groom fur or feathers.

Which was why his decision on the day he and Shane are at work and Shane just _c_ _an’t_ _sit still_ is pretty easy.

 

-

 

It’s normal for both of them to get fidgety after sitting for too long. Ryan sometimes stands up, stretches his arms and legs and wings, watching the feathers on the tips tremble with the muscles straining in his shoulders and chest. He will crack his neck and then sit back down. Occasionally, his leg will bounce and he often doesn’t even notice it until his knee hits the table from below. Shane’s restlessness usually shows when he uncoils from his seat mat, stretches his upper body to the left and to the right before curling up again in a new position. In general, it doesn’t distract too much. If anything, when one of them moves, it reminds the other to not sit hunched over for too long.

But today is insane. When Ryan arrives, Shane’s already there, fingernails tapping on a pulled up coil at his side, similar to the way Ryan sometimes drags his knee up to rest his hand on. He’s in the middle of editing footage, so Ryan simply waves in Shane’s periphery as a greeting and accepts that Shane just nods without taking his eyes away from the screen. They would chat later, maybe during their lunch break. Ryan gets to work, pulling up the articles on the next location he wants to go to for Unsolved. It’s a house clearly built by Avians who didn’t get many visitors, because the place lacks stairs, ramps and lifts. They would have to bring an emergency ramp or both Mark and Shane would have trouble maneuvering anywhere but the first floor. Ryan shakes his head. Everything built before the Accessible Act means extra work, but this place has a great history and four different ghost apparitions, so they just can’t pass up on the opportunity. He’s distracted from the article by Shane moving. His friend rearranges his seating, grimacing as he moves in his spot. His right hand has abandoned the keyboard and scratches his scales at the lower third of his tail. Ryan glances over.

Shane’s tail is pretty, Ryan has to admit that. People like to tease Ryan about his ego sometimes, about how he gets shirtless at every opportunity. Ryan doesn’t deny that he likes to show off his toned chest and muscular arms, because he does put a lot of effort into looking like that. But the main reason he goes shirtless is because the feathers at the base of his wings get entangled in the back cuffs and it’s just more comfortable to have your shirt off. People call it “peacocking around” or “cock-sure” if they are the type to make puns and Ryan hates it a little bit. He will inform them that the gray feathers tipped in black and marked with white lines are a family trait that comes from _both_ his mum _and_ his dad, thank you very much, which by the way is _extremely_ rare for mixed-race immigrants. His parents actually bonded over both having Merlin traits and he’ll not let someone who has no idea what they are talking about throw Avian traits around willy-nilly. That usually gets him eye rolls and tongues stuck out at him, but at least people then shut up and let him be shirtless.

Ryan is man enough to admit when someone else is attractive, no matter the person’s gender. Shane definitely is one of those attractive people. While he’s not commercially hot, with his long arms and bit of belly fat and his big nose and tired eyes, he has charm and he’s… pretty. And Shane’s tail… it’s fascinating. He once asked and learned that Shane’s traits resemble that of a Ghost Corn Snake, a relatively common but very pretty type of snake. Most of Shane’s tail is a white eggshell color with soft grayish-brown patches on the top. The edges of the patches are a little darker, as if someone outlined them in brown pen and the belly and underside of Shane’s tail are a black and white chessboard-styled pattern of little squares. Even though snakes used to make Ryan uncomfortable as a child, being around Shane so much, both at work and at their homes made him relax and even admire the muscular coils and notice the slight silver shimmer to Shane’s scales.

 

Today however, Shane’s scales seem dull. The bents look a little bulkier, scales (or skin? Ryan is never exactly sure.) bunched up where Shane’s tail is folded and Shane is currently picking at the scales, scratching again, this time around his hip. Many Hybrids with their traits making up their entire lower body don’t wear skirts or pants. It makes sense, because they have no exposed genitalia like humanoids do, but Shane knows that it makes some people uncomfortable. So normally, he wears flannels tied around his waist or on rare occasions a jean skirt that covers the upper third of his tail, which he exchanges for a black pencil skirt when he dresses for formal occasions. Right now, Shane has pushed down the flannel he’s wearing and absentmindedly peels at his side. When he notices Ryan staring, he looks down, flushes in embarrassment and pulls the shirt up again.

 

“Sorry.”

Ryan frowns.

“No problem, dude. Are… are you okay?”

Shane grimaces.

“I’ll manage.”

“What’s wrong?”

Shane sighs and takes off his headphones, before running a hand through his hair.

“You don’t wanna know, it’s gross.”

Ryan scoffs.

“I think we had worse, man. We ate all kinds of weird stuff for Buzzfeed videos… or read about gross things while eating.”

Shane chuckles.

“I mean you’re not wrong. But it’s still a bit gross.”

When Ryan doesn’t budge, Shane gives in.

“I’m shedding. I have to take some time to get rid of this:” He rubs his flat hand over his scales and Ryan can see some of the skin bunch. “But for that I have to go home and soak, peel and exfoliate. It’s not painful, but it’s a bit gross so… yeah not gonna do that here.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, but it itches like a motherfucker.”

Ryan bites his bottom lip, but decides to take the chance.

“Do you need help? Later, I mean?”

Shane looks at him in honest surprise.

“You would-?” He shakes his head. “You don’t have to. It’s not nice. I mean I’m literally removing a layer of old skin… That’s not something you wanna see.”

Ryan bristles a little.

“You helped me when I was molting, dude!”

“That’s different… feathers aren’t skin.”

“Some people find molting gross. I have no problem with helping you shed, if you want the help. We’re friends… aren’t we?”

He feels a bit guilty for phrasing it that way. It sounds like he’s accusing Shane, or even manipulating. And Shane does flinch a little bit.

“Of course we are...”

Ryan sighs and rephrases:

“That sounded wrong. I know we’re friends. I just want you to take my help. I promise I won’t be grossed out.”

Shane smiles a little bit.

“Alright. We can leave together if you like.”

 

The rest of the day passes with less agitation. Ryan taps the back of Shane’s hand when he catches him scratching or picking and Shane manages to calm down a little. They have lunch together, give each other little hints on what they are working on for their respective shows and shoot an instagram video for PostMortem questions.

 

Finally, Shane turns off his computer and starts packing his things. Ryan follows suit and they leave the Buzzfeed building to head towards Shane’s flat.

 

-

 

Ryan has been over several times, so he follows Shane’s prompt to feel himself at home. He kicks off his shoes and grabs both of them a soda from Shane’s fridge. He pokes his head into the living room only to find it empty.

 

“Shane?”

“I’m in the bathroom!”

 

Ryan follows Shane’s voice and finds the bathroom door half open. He peeks in and sees Shane resting next to the bathtub. His tail is half stretched out behind him, lying on the tiles in coils and twists. In the cold bathroom light and on the white tiles, Shane’s tail looks almost dirty, like porcelain with coffee stains. _Still beautiful_ , he thinks before he can help himself as he steps carefully over Shane and hands him the soda.

 

“Thanks.”

Shane turns on the bathtub taps and holds his hand under the water, adjusting the stream till he is happy with the temperature. He opens his soda, takes a couple of sips and then places it aside to pour soap from a big yellow bottle in the tub.

“Do you _have_ to take a bath?” Ryan asks, curious.

Shane shrugs.

“I can technically scrub off the old skin just like that, but it’s more comfortable like this and it prevents it sticking to new scales and ripping them off with it.”

“Ouch.” Ryan comments. He frowns at the thought. Must feel like accidentally ripping off a scab before it’s healed all the way.

“Is that a special type of soap?”

“Well, kinda, yeah.” He gives Ryan the bottle.

“ _Dr. Lush’s Serpentine Scale Solution Soap_.” He wheezes. “Try saying that three times fast.”

“It’s a mouthful,” Shane agrees.

He turns off the water and pulls his t-shirt over his head. Ryan quickly takes a sip from his own soda so he doesn’t stare. Technically, Shane is getting naked in front of him. It’s different for other hybrids and he knows that, but it’s still a bit embarrassing, especially now that he steals the odd glance at Shane’s back, the pale skin littered with tiny beauty marks and the odd little shimmer of thin scales alongside his spine until his skin is taken over by that cream shimmer from the hips down. Ryan bites his bottom lip. Shane is so fucking pretty, but he knows if he were to say it, it would sound like a joke. The best case scenario would be that he makes things awkward. Worst case scenario: He makes Shane uncomfortable because Shane doesn’t realize he means it and it ends with Shane thinking that Ryan makes fun of his appearance and insults him.

 

He must have looked a little mournful, because as Shane sits on the rim of the tub and slowly drags his tail into the water bit by bit, he stares at Ryan and frowns.

“Everything okay?”

Ryan shakes himself out of his thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry, I was completely elsewhere.”

Shane hums and leaves it at that, but he still looks worried. Ryan focuses on the long snake tail settling in the soapy water.

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m soaking a bit, at first.” Shane moves the tail a bit, splashing in the water as he grabs his drink again and leans back against the bathroom wall. “That softens the old skin and removes any stickiness, so I can pretty much just shove it off like a piece of clothing.”

“Huh.”

 

They sit together a bit, sipping their sodas and chatting. Ryan tries his best not to stare at Shane’s bare chest, because the pale soft skin is inviting and he can’t help but think about touching it. He distracts himself (and Shane) with the topic of a pretty popular murder case that got new leads about a week ago and they easily fall into exchanging and debating theories. Shane is laughing loud, head leaned back against the tiles and the sound reverberating in the room. Ryan, who is indignant at how easy Shane dismisses the alien theory, reaches down and shoves his hand through the tepid bath water, splashing it at Shane. Shane yells and shakes the water out of his hair before glowering at Ryan. Ryan is smug, but still watching out for Shane’s hands if he’s going to retaliate. It’s a mistake, because Shane’s tail thrashes and Ryan’s jeans get soaked. He scrams, the high pitched sound amplified by the tiled walls and Shane is laughing again.

 

It doesn’t escalate in a whole splash fight because Ryan jumps back, careful not to slip on the wet tiles, his wings flared outwards. It’s half a gesture of defensiveness and half to shake the droplets of water off. Shane holds up his hands and calls a ceasefire. Or “ceasewater” as he quickly renames it. Ryan agrees on the condition that Shane never makes that pun again.

 

-

 

Eventually, Shane pulls his tail up, picking at the skin experimentally.

 

“Okay. I think that’s about it. If you want, you can go to the living room, because now I gotta do the shedding.”

Ryan frowns.

“I told you I don’t mind.”

Shane looks at him for a moment, face unreadable.

“Alright,” he finally says. “You can do the lower half.”

He grabs two coarse scrubbing brushes, the type Ryan has seen used for cleaning dishes usually and Ryan is handed one. Shane brings up parts of his tail towards the edge of the bathtub, and he is staining a little, so Ryan reaches out and grabs at the tail, pulling it up on his knee.

“Don’t do that, you’ll get soaked!”

“I don’t care, it’s just water. It’s fine.”

Shane wants to protest, but he gives up quickly. Instead, he shows Ryan how he works the loose old skin off his new scales: With slow, heavy brushes, pressing the bristles into the old skin and dragging it down. Ryan watches with fascination as old, milky skin is pushed off and reveals shimmering fresh scales underneath.

He tries to copy the movement towards the end of Shane’s tail and it takes him a couple tries, but finally the skin gives way and moves off.

“Just drop it into the tub, I’ll clean it up later.”

Ryan shucks the old skin off and watches as it vanishes in the water. Shane was right, it _is_ a little gross, but he realizes that he doesn’t really mind. Helping a loved one with something makes a lot of things okay, whether you change a baby diaper or help an old person wash. Or, in this case, help your best friend slash crush shed old skin.

They start to work in silence. Ryan only pauses when he has to make sure his brushing doesn’t hurt Shane. Shane often pauses to compliment on how well Ryan is doing and Ryan’s chest swells a little. His jeans do get wet, but he doesn’t care. The feeling of brushing his fingers over Shane’s new, soft scales definitely makes up for it.

 

Finally, Shane pulls himself completely out of the tub and throws a big towel over his lower half. He takes the brush from Ryan.

 

“Thanks, man. You can go ahead and wait in the living room. I’m gonna throw away the trash, dry up and then you can help me moisturize.”

He looks at Ryan, suddenly unsure.

“If you still want.”

“’Course I do.” Ryan feels almost a bit exasperated at the repeated question.

“Okay.” Shane’s smile is soft.

 

-

 

When Shane joins him in the living room, Ryan has turned on some music on Shane’s Playstation and settled in his chair. He has finally stopped freaking out about the fact that he has a _chair_ at Shane’s place, which feels so oddly personal. Then again, he also has a toothbrush there and a single change of clothes, in case their movie nights end with them falling asleep in front of the TV. Ryan doesn’t think about that often, because it makes him nervous, makes him imagine a domestic life with Shane and that usually ends in fantasies about cuddling and kissing Shane and other things that cause the tips of his ears turn red.

He’s saved from the more embarrassing thoughts by Shane returning. He has put on a soft flannel shirt, but his waist is still free and now Ryan really can see the effect of the old skin being gone. Shane’s scales are truly beautiful in the warm lighting of the living room. His markings are more visible and the silver sheen Ryan sometimes sees in the right angle is much brighter now. Shane is carrying a bucket with several bottles in it and he has a couple thin towels slung over his arm. Ryan sits up a little, taking the towels from Shane. Shane puts the bucket between them and drops on the sofa, pulling as much of his tail as he can between them. Ryan watches the body coil and the tip of Shane’s tail settles on the arm of his chair. He wants to reach out and link his pinky finger with it, but he’s too afraid.

 

“So. This is the part that’s a bit of a workout. I work use a bunch of this lotion here,” Shane holds up one of the frankly king-sized bottles of scale care lotion, “and work it in my scales with the fabric here. Before you ask, yes, it has the whole sense of jerking off into a sock so if you’re uncomfortable you can still tap out.”

Ryan snorts.

“It’s fine. I doubt your tail will jizz all over the floor.”

Shane makes a face that is half disgust and half disappointment and Ryan would feel bad if he didn’t catch the snort that comes from Shane once he looks away.

“Let’s better start before you make more dick jokes about my hybrid traits...”

“Hey, you started it!” Ryan sputters.

Shane laughs to show that it’s all good and hands Ryan a towel. They slather them in lotion and Shane shows Ryan how he works the moisturizer into his scales: He rubs the side of his tail in soft, circular motions and slowly works his way down. Shane’s scales shine even more where he has been treating them and Ryan is rapt as he watches.

 

“How much money do you spend on scale care products? Must be a lot.”

Shane shrugs.

“It’s either this or running around with dry scales, raining skin flakes everywhere. I prefer the work and spending the money over the alternative.”

Ryan snorts.

“So you’d say it’s… Worth It?”

Shane gives him a death glare.

“I will throw you out of my home.”

It makes Ryan laugh.

“Then you won’t have somebody to help!”

As if to underline his point, he starts to work on Shane’s scales starting with the tip of the tail that curls next to his elbow. Shane sighs a little and Ryan can see his shoulders relax.

“Alright, Bergara. You win this one.”

Their eyes meet and Ryan’s stomach does a flip at the smile Shane gives him.

 

Ryan soon falls into a comfortable rhythm, almost like the trance he finds himself dropping into when he really gets into cleaning. The circular motion with which he works lotion in the scales on Shane’s tail is almost hypnotic. He has worked his way to the checkered underside. The scales there are not in the same diagonal pattern as they are on the back, but rather in several layered lines, almost like a type of armor. He is so engrossed that he doesn’t see Shane move and flinches when Shane grabs his wrist out of nowhere.

His gaze shoots up and he’s surprised to see his friend’s face reddened. Shane is biting his bottom lip and his eyes are wide. Ryan looks down and realizes, his motions have carried him relatively close to Shane’s hip. He spots a slit, almost completely hidden by the layered scales, a half-moon slice about half a foot below Shane’s exposed belly button and Ryan flushes instantly when he realizes what the pouch is and how close his hand has gotten to it.

 

“Sorry!” He pulls his hand back with a jerk and Shane does the same, letting go of Ryan’s wrist.

“Sorry!” Shane echoes and they stare at each other, both flushed and frozen.

 

It takes them about half a minute before Shane starts to snicker, Ryan’s laughter bubbles in his throat and then Shane is wheezing, doubling over. Ryan bursts out into laughter, dropping forward and as Shane’s tail curls up and rests most of his lower body on Ryan’s lap, he leans over it and hugs Shane’s tail to himself. He looks up and finds Shane thrown backwards over the arm of the couch and he is slapping his chest as he’s wheezing, trying to catch his breath. They calm down for a moment, but the second they look at each other they break again.

Finally, _finally_ , Ryan manages to sit up and he rubs the tears from his eyes. Shane is looking at him, still lying back and trying to catch his breath in between giggles. He is flushed, but now it’s from elation, not embarrassment and Ryan is sure he paints a similar picture. He clears his throat.

 

“Sorry about that.”

Shane waves him off.

“It’s fine, I was lost in thought so I didn’t notice until I went “uh oh”. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

Ryan flushes.

“That should be my line.”

“Hey, if it helps...” Shane leans forward and places a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “There is nobody I’d rather get an almost accidental handjob from than you.”

Ryan splutters and shoves Shane off, but he can’t keep the laughter in as Shane is grinning.

“You dick! You _wish_ I’d give you that kind of massage with a happy ending. Your dick would be so elated.”

Somehow, making jokes about Shane’s junk doesn’t feel as terrible as it could be. Maybe it’s because Shane is laughing as well, cheeks still reddened and eyes bright.

“It’s… actually, you’d have more work ahead of you than you’d think.”

Ryan stops laughing and gulps.

“Is that your way of implying you’re hung?”

Shane winces a little.

“Uh, not quite. Let’s just say you’d get a double deal. Two for one.”

Ryan takes about a second to understand what Shane means before his face fills with heat. Had he been in a cartoon, steam would have come out of his ears.

“SHANE!”

“I’m sorry! I don’t know why I said that, forget it, forget it!”

“How the fuck am I going to forget that! Jesus Christ, Shane.”

Shane clears his throat.

“Sorry, sorry. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Well, usually that works, but right now I’m a bit uncomfortable. Then again, it started because I almost jerked you off so I guess some of the blame is on me.”

Shane glances at him, smiling a little.

“Still, I’m sorry.”

Ryan scoffs and waves him off.

“Me too. Let’s just… forget about it.”

“Okay.”

 

Shane finishes moisturizing his scales and afterwards, he’s stretched out on the couch, the towels hanging over the end of his tail which he has coiled over the back of the sofa. He is lying on his stomach, arms crossed on the armrest and chin resting on his arms. Ryan has moved his chair so he can look at Shane and he realizes he is smiling softly. He knows he’s letting his guard down and that his affection for Shane shows on his face, but he’s tired, too tired of always hiding. If his friendship with Shane survives helping each other with personal grooming and making jokes about how many dicks your friend has, then it will probably survive if Shane knows how Ryan really feels.

He’s startled when the tip of Shane’s tail curls around his wrist. The towels are on the floor and Shane’s gaze is fixed on him, scales soft and cool against Ryan’s warm skin. He feels his wings fluff up a bit and has the sudden desire to preen, fix the feathers that sit in his hair, the usually soft, fluffy texture slathered in hair gel so it doesn’t stick out everywhere. He wants to brush his wings and stretch them out so Shane can admire the way his muscles and tendons move. He could show off the markings on the back of his wings and maybe let Shane touch them. Shane’s fingers are long and slim, perfect for helping him preen and Ryan had been so grateful when Shane came over during Ryan’s molt. The memory of those fingers in his plumage, brushing and combing out the feathers that had fallen out and collecting the soft down that had been replaced with fresh ones. When the itch had lessened, Ryan had sighed so loud that it sounded vaguely pornographic and Shane had faltered a bit in his movements. Ryan had been really embarrassed, but he couldn’t help it. The feeling had been so wonderful that he still sometimes dreamed of it to this day. Only in his dreams Shane’s hands would wander to Ryan’s naked back, wrap around him and kiss the spot between his wings, then move up to kiss his neck. It was the kind of dream he would wake up from with a red face and more than a bit inconvenienced.

 

He comes back to Shane still looking at him, expression apprehensive and maybe a little worried.

“Sorry.” Ryan mumbles. “I kind of zoned out.”

His thumb absentmindedly starts caressing the tail that rests in his palm. The tip has almost wound up all the way to Ryan’s elbow and he feels surprisingly alright with the contact.

Finally, Shane speaks. His voice is hushed, as if he’s afraid of breaking something that’s hanging in the air.

 

“Do you know, you’re one of the few Avians who’s not afraid of me?”

Ryan gapes at him.

“Really? But… Shane, you’re… _you_. Nothing about you is intimidating.”

Shane laughs.

“I’m tall and I’m a Serpentine… even if you get your instincts in check, which can be hard for anyone, but especially Mammalians and Avians. People get uncomfortable around snakes and … my kind. Especially tall ones with longer tails. They don’t like this.”

He points at his tail curled around Ryan and Ryan gets it. He had been about eleven when a friend told him to never let a snake-type hold onto him with their tail because “that’s how they get leverage to squeeze you dead.” He knows that’s how snakes hunt, but he’s always hated when people point out his jumpiness and connect it to his Avian traits, so he can barely imagine the nonsense Shane had to deal with in his life.

Ryan looks at Shane, hoping his face is open and honest.

“Shane. You’re my best friend. I trust you implicitly… I know you sometimes love to scare the shit out of me at haunted locations and, for the record, that makes you a giant dick… But this?”

He holds up his wrist and as the coils squeeze his hand a little bit, he closes his hand around it and squeezes back carefully.

“This doesn’t scare me. I know you’re a good person and would never harm anyone. People who don’t understand this are stupid, okay?”

Shane nods. He reaches out and Ryan insinctively gives him his free hand. Their fingers tangle together and Ryan feels a nervous happy feeling wash through him.

Shane pulls himself closer to Ryan, using his free arm to push himself up from the sofa. Ryan leans forward in his chair, confused and scared, but also a little hopeful.

Shane is so close he can imagine feeling his breath on his face.

 

“You know,” Shane starts, looking at Ryan thoughtfully, “maybe it’s just because we talked a bit too much about you almost giving me a handjob-”

Ryan groans and rolls his eyes. He wants to tug his hand out of Shane’s but Shane’s fingers hold onto him tighter.

“Let me finish! I know it was awkward, but… tonight was still great. Because I learned that I really can rely on you for so much. I don’t think I ever knew someone I was this comfortable around. Like, I wouldn’t even let my mother help me shed after I turned fifteen.”

Ryan chuckles a bit.

“I’m glad I’m not like your mother to you.”

Shane groans and drops his head a bit.

“Ryan, I’m trying to say something here, can you please be serious for a moment?”

Ryan reaches out with the hand that is still wound in Shane’s tail, but the coil moves out of the way as he reaches out and strokes Shane’s hair.

“Okay,” he says softly. “Please continue.”

Shane looks up. His cheeks are dusted pink again and Ryan forgets to breathe for a moment. His friend looks so vulnerable and sweet and Ryan can’t help but wonder if that means…

His mouth drops open in surprise as Shane pushes himself up on his tail and leans in to press a kiss to Ryan’s cheek. Ryan makes a little noise in the back of his throat and then Shane backs off, the tail slips completely from Ryan’s arm and then Shane tries to untangle their hands.

That’s when Ryan regains his senses, clutches Shane’s hand hard and pulls him back in.

 

He dimly notices Shane reaching for his shoulder to brace on as he’s pulled in and then he is kissing him. They are _kissing_. Shane’s lips move against his and it’s barely more than a soft brush and it feels so good, that he isn’t sure if the sigh he hears is his or Shane’s. He leans back in his chair and Shane follows him, tail dragging underneath him to push him higher and a hand settles on Ryan’s free one which is now clutched in the arm of the chair. He opens his mouth slightly and Shane’s tongue slides against his, making him jump a little. They are basically just holding hands now and Ryan just has to untangle himself to put his arms around Shane’s neck. Shane seems to like the development, because he grabs Ryan’s hips and pulls him forward, out of the chair until Ryan is settled in the spiral that Shane is twisted in on the ground. It’s surprisingly comfortable, resting in a ring of two layers of Serpentine tail and his wings stretch out, looking to cover as much of Shane as possible because he yearns for physical contact, has wanted this for so long and now he’s in Shane’s arms, wrapped protectively in the rest of Shane’s body and he finally brings up his wings to wrap Shane in them, his hands brushing over Shane’s back under the cover of dark feathers.

 

Shane pulls back, eyes wide and surprised before he smiles, so bright and happy that Ryan’s heart could burst. He sees the glint of a single tear in the corner of Shane’s eye and he brings a hand up to wipe it away. Shane turns his head to kiss Ryan’s fingers and Ryan laughs in disbelief.

 

“I thought… I thought you knew how I felt, Shane. I thought you didn’t want me. Not like this.”

Shane swallows hard.

“I… Maybe I’m stupid. But I didn’t know. You’re such a kind person, I thought that if I misread it and you were just a great friend, I would ruin everything. Shit, even tonight I wasn’t a hundred percent sure. I’m sorry. I’m not saying you’re dishonest, it’s just, I thought it was still possible that you didn’t feel the same way.”

Ryan laughs softly.

“Maybe we’re both stupid.”

Shane beams at him.

“The smartest, dumbest guys around, for sure.”

Ryan snorts and pulls Shane in for another kiss. His wings cover them where Shane’s tail can’t and it’s almost like a bubble of protection they’re nestled in. So protected, despite knowing they have no eyes on them, Ryan feels safe to run his hands up and down Shane’s arms, admire that the man does definitely have some muscle there. He huffs out a breath as Shane kisses his neck. The sides have always been sensitive, possibly because some ancestor used to have a gland to groom his feathers with there or something similar. Whatever it was, Ryan decides that Shane’s lips on that spot are his new favorite feeling.

 

When Shane pulls back, Ryan has gotten lost in the feeling of running his hands through Shane’s hair and enjoying the soft strands. He’s almost on his back now, Shane’s tail holding him safe and sure and Ryan could fall asleep like this. He glances up at Shane and his heart beats under the tender gaze on his face.

 

“I should have almost accidentally jerked you off earlier,” he jokes and Shane sputters, cheeks turning red.

“You should be glad that I like you, because otherwise I’d kick you out for sure this time.”

Ryan feels his lips split into a grin.

“You like me?”

Shane rolls his eyes and cups Ryan’s face.

“If you didn’t get that by now, you truly are the dumbest, smartest guy ever.”

He leans in and kisses Ryan again and Ryan hums happily.

“Wasn’t it smartest dumbest?” He asks as Shane pulls back. Shane only looks at him with exasperation.

“You’re the fucking worst.”

Ryan smirks up at him.

“But you like me.”

Shane shakes his head in disbelief.

“I do, goddamn I really do.”

“I like you too. I have for a long time.”

Shane hums. He looks a little guilty.

“Lots to make up for, then.” He finally says and pulls Ryan in again. Ryan wraps his arms around Shane’s back and sighs as their chests press together. He can feel Shane’s heartbeat, feel the coils of Shane’s tail shift under him so Ryan can lie comfortably in their little almost-nest. He feels fingers reach up and brush over the feathers at the base of his wings and he knows, everything will be alright.

 

-

 

This time, he knows the exact moment where their relationship became something more. He’ll always remember that one.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and enduring my inability to not write fluff <3


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